Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP210017S
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00:01 Hello, friends, here at 3ABN Sabbath School panel
00:03 we're making our way through our study 00:04 on God's everlasting covenant. 00:07 In fact, that's exactly what it's called. 00:08 It's called "The Promise, God's Everlasting Covenant." 00:11 And we're learning that 00:13 the covenant really is all about 00:14 our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 00:17 And so we want to encourage you to stick it out with us 00:20 each and every way through 00:21 because we're learning more and more 00:23 as we dive deep into God's Word, 00:24 but we want to tell you 00:26 how you can get a copy of this lesson 00:27 if you don't have one already. 00:28 So you can go online if you don't have a copy, 00:31 you can get a digital copy at ABSG.Adventist.org, 00:37 and you can access a copy for free. 00:39 But, of course, we always encourage you 00:40 if you can find your local Seventh-day Adventist Church, 00:44 and they can provide a copy for you for free as well 00:46 and you get to fellowship 00:47 and study God's Word with likeminded individuals. 00:50 So again, grab your pens, your pencils, 00:52 your writing, utensils, iPads, whatever it is you use, 00:54 and get ready to dive deep with us into God's Word 00:57 as we discuss God's everlasting covenant. 01:31 Hello, friends, and welcome back 01:32 to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:34 Again, we're so blessed 01:35 that you're joining us each and every week 01:37 as we are studying through God's Word 01:39 on God's everlasting covenant. 01:41 That's our topic. 01:42 And we're learning so much. 01:43 And we have lots to cover today 01:45 as today's lesson is actually entitled, 01:48 "An everlasting Covenant." 01:51 And we're going to be looking at God's names, 01:53 the meaning of those names and how they relate to God 01:56 in connection with the covenant and His people. 01:58 And so that being said, 02:00 I'm gonna go ahead and introduce this fine panel. 02:02 To my left, I have Miss Jill Morikone. 02:04 It's always a blessing to have you. 02:06 Thank you so much, Ryan, privileged to be here. 02:08 Amen. Praise the Lord. 02:09 We have Pastor John Dinzey. 02:11 How are you, Brother? 02:12 I am doing well. Thanks to the Lord. 02:13 And it's a privilege also for me to be here. 02:15 Amen. Praise the Lord. 02:17 And to your left is Miss Shelley Quinn. 02:19 Always a blessing to hear 02:20 what you have to say about the covenants. 02:22 Oh, this is exciting to me. 02:24 Amen. 02:25 And, of course, last but not least, 02:27 on the far end of the table, 02:29 Thursday's lesson today is Pastor John Lomacang. 02:31 Yeah, I'll get whatever you guys leave out for me. 02:34 I appreciate it. 02:36 Okay. Praise the Lord. 02:37 Again, we're talking about God's everlasting covenant. 02:41 And I'm going to read the memory text before we pray 02:44 and then we're going to pray and get right into this. 02:46 So I love this. 02:47 Genesis 17:7 says, 02:51 "And I will establish My covenant 02:53 between Me and you, 02:56 and your descendants after you in their generations, 02:59 for an everlasting covenant, 03:02 to be God to you, 03:04 and your descendants after you." 03:07 So Pastor John Lomacang, on that note, 03:09 why don't you have a prayer for us? 03:11 Gracious Father, loving Lord, 03:13 as we come this morning before the table of grace. 03:17 Father, we pray that You'll prepare for us a table 03:20 from which we can partake and know that 03:22 this bread has been imparted to us 03:25 to impart to others. 03:26 Give us wisdom, Lord, 03:28 synchronize our hearts and minds. 03:30 May Your Holy Spirit 03:31 pour through the funnel of our obedient hearts, 03:35 that those who are listening and those who are watching 03:37 may find the strength that they are in need of, 03:40 to walk in harmony with this covenant, 03:43 plus the production aspects of it. 03:45 And be all the glory and honor go to You alone. 03:47 We pray in Christ's name. 03:49 Amen. 03:50 Amen. Thank you, Brother. 03:52 You know, growing up in the Day family household 03:54 when I was a kid, my family, my parents taught us 03:59 that your word means something. 04:01 Honor your word. 04:02 Honor your agreements that you make with someone. 04:04 If you make a promise, then you honor that promise. 04:07 And as I'm reading that text 04:09 that we just read from Genesis 17:7 04:11 as God says, you know, 04:13 "To you and your descendants and to you in their generation, 04:16 for an everlasting covenant, 04:18 to be God to you 04:19 and your descendants after you.: 04:21 I love that the fact that we say that a lot, 04:23 it kind of rolls off the tongue easy, 04:25 everlasting covenant. 04:26 But when you really focus in on what that saying, 04:29 it's beautiful to consider that we serve an everlasting God 04:32 that He's saying, you know what? 04:33 Through thick and thin, 04:34 whatever it is that we're going through, 04:36 I'm there for you, I am your God. 04:37 And I'm going to honor My word. 04:39 I'm going to keep My word because that's who I am. 04:42 I'm an everlasting God. 04:43 And My covenant is not something 04:44 that just goes and stops, right? 04:46 Or comes to a certain point 04:48 and it just becomes null and void. 04:49 It is something that will last in as much as you stay with Me 04:53 and you are committed to Me. 04:54 I love the fact that we serve an almighty loving God 04:57 that is everlasting and His Word never fails. 05:01 I want to start with Sabbath afternoon's lesson 05:02 there was a, there was a beautiful 05:04 little couple of paragraphs here 05:06 that really I think warms us up and sets us up 05:08 for the study of this week. 05:10 I'm gonna read that now. 05:11 It says, 05:13 "How many remember distinctly in your childhood, 05:15 a sickness or a touch of pneumonia perhaps 05:18 that made us very sick with 05:20 the potential for some something even worse. 05:23 In the long feverish night 05:24 we would awaken from a half sleep 05:26 to see our mother or father 05:28 sitting in a chair beside our bed, 05:30 and the soft glow of the nightlight. 05:33 Just so in a figurative human sense 05:35 God set by the bedside of a sin sick world 05:40 as more whole darkness began to deepen 05:42 in the centuries after the flood. 05:44 For this reason, 05:46 He called out Abraham 05:47 and plan to establish through his faithful servant, 05:50 a people to whom 05:51 He could entrust a knowledge of Himself 05:53 and give salvation. 05:56 Therefore, God entered into a covenant with Abraham 06:00 and His posterity 06:02 that emphasized in more detail, 06:04 the divine plan to save humankind 06:06 from the results of sin. 06:08 The Lord was not going to leave his world unattended, 06:12 not with it in such dire need." 06:15 And so, I like the way that set that up, 06:16 because it sets us up for Sunday's lesson 06:18 which dives deep into the meaning 06:21 and the emphasis and importance 06:23 of the name of God 06:24 and how He introduced Himself to Abraham. 06:28 And I'm gonna go ahead and go to Genesis 15:1-7. 06:32 This is where God introduces the covenant to Abraham 06:36 and introduces Himself 06:37 and basically He shows to him says, 06:39 this is Me, this is what I'm all about. 06:41 This is who I am. 06:42 And I want you to know exactly 06:44 who it is that is seeking after you, Abraham, 06:46 and it's calling upon you. 06:48 So this is Genesis 15:1-7. 06:51 Notice what the Bible says, 06:53 "After these things 06:55 the word of the Lord came to Abram 06:56 in a vision, saying, 06:58 'Do not be afraid, Abram. 06:59 I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.' 07:04 But Abram said, 07:05 'Lord God, what will You give me, 07:07 seeing I go childless, 07:09 and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?' 07:12 Then Abram said, 07:14 'Look, You have given me no offspring, 07:15 indeed one born in my house is my heir!' 07:20 And behold, the word of the Lord 07:21 came to him, saying, 07:23 'This one shall not be your heir, 07:25 but one who will come from your own body 07:27 shall be your heir.' 07:30 Then He brought him outside and said, 07:32 'Look now toward heaven, 07:33 and count the stars 07:34 if you are able to number them.' 07:37 And He said to him, 07:39 'So shall your descendants be.'" 07:42 And he believed... I love this. 07:43 This is Genesis 15:6, he says, 07:46 "And he believed in the Lord, 07:48 and He accounted it to him for righteousness." 07:51 But our key verse is the next verse, 07:53 verse 7, it says, 07:55 "Then He said to him, 07:56 'I am the Lord, 07:58 who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, 08:01 to give you this land to inherit it.'" 08:05 So God basically identifies Himself here, 08:08 I am the Lord your God. 08:10 And, of course, the lesson brings out that names, 08:12 of course can sometimes be like trademarks, right? 08:15 They're often associated with certain traits 08:18 and characteristics. 08:19 For instance, if I say certain names like 08:21 I don't know, 08:22 Albert Einstein, right? 08:23 There's something that comes to our mind, 08:25 we have certain qualities, 08:26 certain traits and characteristics. 08:28 Another person, Martin Luther King Jr., 08:30 absolutely. 08:31 Hitler. 08:33 Okay, something comes to the mind, right? 08:35 Harriet Tubman. 08:36 These are all famous historical names, 08:38 Abraham Lincoln, right? 08:40 Something comes to mind. 08:41 Michael Jordan. 08:45 And then one more Ellen G. White. 08:48 Every one of these historical individuals 08:50 when you say their name, 08:51 it's not just a name, there are certain, 08:54 these names are associated with certain characteristics, 08:57 traits and ideals 08:58 that immediately come to your mind 09:00 when you hear that. 09:01 So during Bible times, 09:03 obviously people of the Near East 09:04 or the Middle East 09:05 attached great importance to the meaning of names. 09:08 In fact, the SDA Bible Commentary, 09:11 volume 1 has this to say. 09:12 This is volume 1, page 523 of the SDA Bible Commentary. 09:15 It says, 09:17 "The Hebrews always thought of a name 09:18 as indicating either the personal characteristics 09:21 of the one named 09:23 or the thoughts and emotions of the one giving the name 09:26 or attendant circumstances 09:28 at the time the name was given." 09:30 And so I think of certain names in Bible 09:31 like you know that famous one when you think of Jacob, right? 09:34 What was Jacob's name associated with? 09:36 Deceiver, supplanter, right? 09:37 So that was the horrible name to be given. 09:39 But that's what he was known before 09:41 God changed his name, 09:42 I think of Michael, right? 09:43 Michael is the one who is like God, 09:45 these names mean something. 09:47 Well, the same thing here is what the Sunday's lesson 09:50 is bringing about 09:51 that when God introduced Himself 09:53 even though it says in our English Bible, 09:55 for instance, you may have a King James 09:57 or New King James Bible in there 09:59 and then if you have a King James Bible, 10:00 it's gonna be all caps, L-O-R- D, 10:03 I am the LORD your God, right? 10:06 But in the original language, 10:07 they're bringing out that actually God's name, 10:09 He identifies himself, He actually gives a name. 10:12 I am Yahweh, who brought you out of her. 10:16 So He identified Himself. 10:18 And, of course, with that name comes a meaning, 10:20 with that name comes an identifying factor 10:22 or characteristics or ideals, 10:25 or certain traits that come along with that. 10:27 And it's interesting that that name Yahweh, 10:30 which we see in our Bible as Lord, 10:32 it appears more than 6828 times in the Old Testament alone, 10:38 which is powerful. 10:39 God wants us to know who He is. 10:40 He wants us to know that I am the Lord your God. 10:43 It also happens to be a name, 10:45 of course, shrouded in mystery. 10:47 Scholar suggests 10:48 it could be a form of the Hebrew verb. 10:51 I'm hoping I'm saying this correctly, 10:52 hayah. 10:54 It almost makes me want to... 10:56 I don't know, it just come to hayah. 10:57 All right, you just want to do some karate there. 11:00 But no, seriously, it's a real Hebrew word. 11:02 And this is what the scholars say 11:04 that it comes from the Hebrew verb hayah, 11:06 which means to be 11:08 in which case it also can mean get this, 11:10 the Eternal One, the existent one, 11:14 the self existent one, 11:16 the self sufficient one 11:17 or the one who lives eternally kind of like that 11:21 everlasting covenant, that eternal covenant. 11:24 He is an eternal God, 11:25 He is an eternally existent God. 11:28 And, of course, this is describing 11:30 the divine attributes of God, it's describing His character. 11:33 God is revealing to Abraham 11:35 and it's powerful if you think about this. 11:37 Abraham was in Ur. 11:38 Well, this is a region outside of Babylon. 11:41 So he would have been just shrouded 11:42 and just stooped in Babylonian culture. 11:45 So you're talking about, 11:46 he's living in the epicenter of a cultic practices 11:49 and pagan polytheistic culture, 11:51 where at every little turn, 11:53 somebody is worshipping some con kind of god, 11:55 whether it's, you know, the god of the wind, 11:56 or the god of the earth, the god of the grass, 11:58 or the god of the sea, or the god of gold and silver, 12:00 or whatever kind of gods they serve there. 12:02 And then this God shows up and says, Abraham, I'm Yahweh. 12:07 I'm the Eternal One. 12:09 I'm the self existent one, 12:11 and I'm calling you out, I want you to be My man. 12:13 I've got so many blessings for you. 12:15 I'm not like all these other false gods. 12:17 And so this got Abraham's attention. 12:19 You can imagine, it shook his world, right? 12:22 Because looking at all of these other false gods, 12:24 what have they done for anyone? 12:25 He's seen, he's observing, 12:27 and he's seeing all these other gods 12:28 that they're serving here in Babylonian culture. 12:30 They haven't done anything. 12:31 But here's a God that says, I'm going to do something, 12:33 I'm going to make things happen for you. 12:35 I'm going to bless you, 12:36 you're going to be a blessing to others. 12:38 And this is who I am, I am Yahweh, 12:40 I am the God of everything. 12:42 And so Abraham, the Bible says he believed it. 12:45 And it was accounted to him for righteousness. 12:47 He knew that there was something different 12:49 about this God. 12:50 In fact, in Exodus 3:14, that's what comes to my mind, 12:52 when God actually identified Himself 12:55 and what this Yahweh means. 12:56 When He identified Himself to Moses and said, 12:59 you know, when Moses asked Him, so when I go into Egypt, 13:01 what should I call you? 13:03 Who should I tell sent me? 13:04 He said, I am who I am. 13:07 That's so you tell me, why? 13:09 Because it means I rule over the past, present, and future. 13:13 I am the only true God. 13:15 That's who you tell has sent you, 13:16 the only true God. 13:18 So God wants Abraham to know His name, right? 13:21 Because that name reveals aspect of his, 13:24 aspects of His identity, 13:25 His personal nature and His character. 13:28 And from this knowledge, 13:30 we can learn to trust in His promises. 13:32 I'm thinking of Psalm 9:10, as we're doing this study here, 13:36 and those who know your name, this is Psalm 9:10, 13:39 "And those who know Your name 13:41 will put their trust in You, for You, 13:44 Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You." 13:47 Did God forsake Abraham? 13:48 Abraham found that out that God was not bluffing. 13:51 He wasn't just another false god, 13:53 like all the other false deities 13:55 that they served in Babylon. 13:56 He saw this personal God for who He was, 13:59 the mighty everlasting God. 14:01 Another one, Psalm 91:14, love this text, 14:04 "Because he has set his love upon Me, 14:07 therefore I will deliver him, I will set him on high, 14:10 because he has known My name." 14:14 God's name is much more than just the name, my friends. 14:17 God's name tells us the story of who He is. 14:20 He is the Almighty God, He is the everlasting God 14:23 who wants to bestow 14:25 that everlasting covenant upon us. 14:26 If only we would just surrender to Him now 14:28 and accept Him for who He truly is, 14:31 Yahweh, the Eternally existed One. 14:35 Amen. 14:36 Thank you so much, Ryan. 14:37 We're having church. 14:39 That's powerful. He has the truth. 14:40 I think maybe we could have you 14:41 be just a little less excited now. 14:43 I love that, 14:44 I love Ryan's energy and enthusiasm. 14:46 What an incredible setup to our lesson, 14:49 Yahweh, I love that. 14:50 I have another of the names of God. 14:53 I have El Shaddai. 14:54 Now, El just means God. 14:57 In the Semites it was their basic name 14:59 for referring to God, 15:01 and it means might or power, 15:03 and it occurs many 100 times throughout Hebrew. 15:08 But it's connected El Shaddai, God with Shaddai. 15:11 And we're going to study what that means. 15:13 Let's look first 15:14 at the first time that this word for God, 15:17 El Shaddai is used in the Bible. 15:19 This is Genesis 17:1. 15:21 This is talking to Abraham, Genesis 17:1, 15:26 "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord, " 15:30 this is Yahweh that Ryan already addressed, 15:33 "appeared to Abram and said to him, 15:35 'I am Almighty God, 15:39 I am El Shaddai, 15:41 walk before Me and be blameless.'" 15:45 This covenant making story 15:46 is introduced by this appearance 15:49 of God right here. 15:50 And God repeats His promise to Abram. 15:53 Remember his promise first made in Genesis 12. 15:55 It was repeated in Genesis Chapter 15. 15:59 That promise of descendants, but yet he's still childless, 16:02 that promise of land 16:04 and yet he doesn't have a great deal, 16:07 that reaffirmation 16:09 God reaffirmed His covenant right here with Abram, 16:13 to both him and his descendants. 16:15 And he gave circumcision as a sign of that covenant. 16:20 Now, Abram was 75 years old, 16:22 which we would consider in today's society, 16:24 he's already getting older, 16:25 maybe even retirement age, 16:27 and yet at the age 75, 16:29 he is called to leave Ur of the Chaldees. 16:33 Now at this point, he's 99 years old, 16:36 and that promise that God gave to him. 16:40 He hasn't seen the fulfillment yet. 16:42 So God comes and says, 16:43 I am the Almighty one, 16:47 I can fulfill that promise. 16:50 Shaddai occurs 48 times the word Shaddai in Hebrew, 16:54 almost exclusively in the Book of Genesis, 16:56 and the Book of Job, 16:59 of course, the first time that occurs, 17:00 we just read that reference there. 17:02 And Shaddai comes, now we translate it 17:04 we you could say sanitize it in English in the Bible, 17:08 because we translate it God Almighty, 17:10 and clearly God is almighty, 17:13 but the original word Shaddai come from shad, 17:16 which literally means breast. 17:18 So you could say this means the mighty breast. 17:22 This is where we get that concept of God Almighty. 17:27 Remember, maybe two weeks ago, 17:29 I'm trying to remember 17:31 when it was a couple of weeks ago, 17:32 Pastor John, 17:33 I think it was Pastor John talked about, 17:35 we are made in the image of God, 17:37 male and female created in the image of God, 17:41 meaning that God has 17:43 you could say attributes, characteristics, 17:47 that would be both 17:48 what we would naturally identify 17:49 as masculine or feminine. 17:52 And in this case, 17:53 the mightiness of God implies power, 17:56 but not power of violence. 17:58 This is the power of bountifulness. 18:01 It suggests that God is the pourer-forth, 18:05 the shedder of blessings. 18:08 He is our El Shaddai, 18:11 in contrast with the weakness and the frailty of humanity. 18:15 So let's look at, you might say, 18:16 okay, so why do I care about that? 18:18 What does it matter 18:20 to know that God is our El Shaddai? 18:24 I think there are seven lessons, 18:25 seven reasons that I can see here. 18:28 You know, I was going there, Ryan. 18:29 So lesson number one, 18:31 El Shaddai gives me hope 18:34 in seemingly impossible situations. 18:37 That's what God did to Abraham. 18:40 He's 99 years old, 18:41 and he was given the promise years before, 18:45 and yet he and his wife 18:46 are way past the childbearing age, 18:48 especially his wife passed the time a woman 18:50 there's no way from a human perspective 18:53 that they could have children. 18:55 And yet God appears and He says, 18:56 I am a powerful God, 18:58 I am a bountiful God. 19:00 I am the God who can pour forth 19:04 and shed blessings upon you. 19:06 Whatever you need, 19:07 whatever you lack, 19:09 I will supply it. 19:12 So are you facing a seemingly impossible situation today? 19:16 Know that your God El Shaddai, 19:19 He specializes God Almighty 19:21 in taking a seemingly impossible situation 19:25 and turning it around. 19:27 The second lesson I see is that El Shaddai can adjust 19:31 how others view us. 19:34 Now this is an interesting one. 19:35 This is in Genesis Chapter 43. 19:37 Jump over to Genesis Chapter 43. 19:39 We see the reference to El Shaddai again. 19:42 Genesis 43:14. 19:45 Now to set up this story, 19:46 we see that Israel or these would Jacob 19:49 but of course his name was changed later to Israel. 19:52 He believes his son Joseph is dead, 19:54 although he was really sold into slavery in Egypt 19:57 and now he's the prime minister, 19:59 but Jacob doesn't know all that, 20:01 so he believes Joseph is dead. 20:02 There's a famine in the land and the people are starving, 20:06 his family is starving. 20:08 He sent them to Egypt for food. 20:11 This harsh taskmaster who turns out to be Joseph 20:16 kept Simeon in prison there. 20:18 The family comes back to daddy. 20:20 And then he says, 20:21 "Oh, but you need to go for food again." 20:23 And they said, 20:25 "We can't go because the overseer said, 20:26 'We got to bring our little brother Benjamin 20:28 with us this time.'" 20:31 And so this is where El Shaddai comes in. 20:33 We're in Genesis 43:14, 20:36 "And may God Almighty, that's El Shaddai, 20:39 give you mercy before the man 20:43 that he may release your older brother 20:45 and Benjamin. 20:47 If I am bereaved, I am bereaved." 20:51 He's praying God Almighty, 20:52 El Shaddai to change 20:55 how this overseer looks at the situation, 20:58 to give him mercy in his heart. 21:02 Lesson number three, 21:03 El Shaddai pours out blessings into our lives. 21:09 We see this in jump over a couple more chapters, 21:12 Genesis 49:25. 21:15 This is Israel's final blessing 21:17 at the end of his life to his sons. 21:19 And this is the blessing to Joseph in particular. 21:22 "By the God, that's El, 21:24 of your father who will help you 21:26 and by the Almighty, that's Shaddai, 21:30 who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, 21:32 blessings of the deep that lie beneath, 21:35 blessings of the breasts and of the womb." 21:38 El Shaddai pours out blessings into your life. 21:42 Are you walking in a place that seemingly impossible? 21:46 Do you need the people around you 21:48 to have an attitude adjustment or an eye adjustment 21:52 with how they're viewing that situation? 21:54 Do you need blessings poured out into your life? 21:57 Call on God as your El Shaddai. 22:01 Number four, El Shaddai is able to correct us. 22:04 This is a very interesting one to me. 22:06 Jump over to Job. 22:08 Job 5:17, 22:12 "Behold, happy is the man whom God, 22:14 that's El, corrects. 22:16 Therefore, do not despise 22:18 the chastening of the Almighty." 22:22 That is Shaddai. 22:24 Now, both parents correct clearly 22:26 when you grow up, 22:28 usually the father disciplines and the mother disciplines. 22:30 But if we look at the connotations from this, 22:34 to me this is specifically looking at 22:37 how would your mama correct you. 22:39 And I remember when I was growing up, 22:42 my mom had many ways to correct me. 22:45 But the one way that was most effective. 22:47 I remember she walked into the bedroom, 22:49 I knew I was gonna get whipped. 22:51 And she walked in and she knelt down, 22:53 I'll never forget this. 22:55 And she began to pray. 22:56 And she said, 22:58 "God, forgive me 22:59 for not being the mother to Jill 23:02 that I should have been." 23:03 And that broke my heart, 23:06 that mother's love for me, 23:08 that desire that 23:10 I would turn from my wicked ways 23:12 and I would follow God, 23:14 that brought me, wooed me back to the Lord Jesus Christ. 23:19 Next lesson is El Shaddai is all powerful. 23:24 Still in Job, Job 11:7, 23:27 "Can you search out the deep things of God?" 23:30 That's El. 23:31 "Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?" 23:34 The Shaddai. 23:35 There is no limit to the power of our God. 23:40 The next lesson number six, El Shaddai sustains us. 23:45 Job 33:4, 23:47 "The Spirit of God has made me 23:51 and the breath of the Almighty or Shaddai gives me life." 23:56 So God not only created us in the beginning, 24:00 but through the power of El Shaddai 24:02 we are sustained. 24:05 And finally, number seven, 24:06 El Shaddai always does the right thing. 24:10 Job 34:12, 24:12 "Surely God, that is El, will never do wickedly, 24:16 nor will the Almighty, that is Shaddai, 24:20 pervert justice." 24:21 El Shaddai is not swayed by other people's opinions, 24:24 by other people's emotions or outside pressure. 24:28 God will always do the right thing. 24:31 I'm so thankful no matter what we are facing 24:34 that we can call on Him as our El Shaddai. 24:37 Praise the Lord. I like that. 24:39 I love that story about your mama. 24:40 Mama Day she was a little bit different. 24:41 She said, Lord, please let this whipping 24:44 straighten my son out. 24:45 That's just how things were around my house. 24:47 And many times they did, so praise the Lord. 24:50 We're gonna take a short break. 24:52 We'll come right back. 24:59 Ever wish you could watch 25:01 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 25:03 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 25:06 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 25:11 A clean design makes it easy 25:14 to find the program you're looking for. 25:16 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 25:19 so you can follow along. 25:21 Sharing is easy. 25:22 Just click share 25:24 and choose your favorite social media. 25:26 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 25:30 Hello, friends, welcome back to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel, 25:32 we're going to send it over to Pastor John Dinzey 25:34 for Tuesday's lesson. 25:36 All right. 25:37 Now we move over to Tuesday's lesson. 25:39 And the title for today's lesson is, 25:41 "From Abram to Abraham." 25:45 And so, this begins with Genesis Chapter 17. 25:47 We're going to read that again in verses 1 through 5. 25:51 Let's go. 25:52 "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, 25:55 the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, 25:58 'I am Almighty God, 26:00 walk before Me and be blameless. 26:02 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, 26:05 and will multiply you exceedingly.' 26:08 And Abram fell on his face, 26:09 and God talked with him, saying: 26:11 'As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, 26:14 and you shall be a father of many nations. 26:17 No longer shall your name be called Abram, 26:20 but your name shall be Abraham, 26:24 for I have made you a father of many nations.'" 26:29 So remember, Abraham, 26:30 or at this point, now he's 99 years old, 26:34 no children. 26:35 And now when he presents himself to people, 26:38 I heard a pastor say this, 26:39 I thought that's very interesting. 26:41 They said, what is your name? 26:42 My name is Abraham. 26:43 And they hear, 26:45 Oh you're a father of many nations. 26:46 How many children do you have? 26:49 Well, his answer would at that point be 26:51 well, I have one. 26:53 No. 26:54 But later, of course, 26:56 the promise of the Lord became true. 26:58 He was a father of many nations. 27:00 And in him all the families of the earth 27:02 have been blessed. 27:04 By the way, Abraham lived to 175 years old, 27:07 blessed of the Lord. 27:09 Now when you go to the scriptures, 27:11 you will notice that 27:12 many of the names of the people, 27:15 this is a common practice 27:17 among the Semitic tribes of ancient times. 27:20 The names were heavy laden with spiritual significance. 27:24 You see, even Adam and Eve 27:27 when, after Cain killed Abel, and Seth was born. 27:31 Eve said this in Genesis 3:25, 27:34 "And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son, 27:38 named him Seth, 27:40 for God has appointed another seed for me, " 27:44 instead of Abel whom Cain killed, 27:47 Seth means substituted. 27:50 And that was a blessing from the Lord 27:52 because they were comforted by the Lord 27:55 giving them another son Seth. 27:59 Now, it is interesting that the lesson brings out 28:02 some examples of name change. 28:05 You have Jacob, Jacob's name being changed, 28:08 Joseph's name being changed by the Egyptians, 28:12 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 28:16 their names were changed. 28:19 If time permits, I will mention another one. 28:22 But I want to start 28:23 with the number three example in the lesson. 28:26 Let's go to Daniel Chapter 1, 28:28 and I'm going to read verse 6 and 7. 28:31 Notice what happens 28:32 because the people of Israel were taken captive to Babylon. 28:36 And some of the princes were taken into the court 28:40 to be a part 28:42 of the Nebuchadnezzar's people. 28:46 And this was a strategic move by Nebuchadnezzar 28:49 because these princes of the people 28:51 would help them be able to control the Jews 28:55 that were captive among them. 28:56 Now, notice what happens? 28:58 Daniel 1:6, 28:59 "Now from among those of the sons of Judah 29:02 were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 29:05 To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: 29:09 he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar, 29:13 to Hananiah, Shadrach, 29:15 to Mishael, Meshach, 29:17 and to Azariah, Abed-Nego." 29:20 Of course, you notice that their names were changed. 29:23 And it's interesting because 29:25 these Hebrews their names meant something special. 29:29 They had a spiritual significance. 29:31 The changing of the names was not for a good reason. 29:36 It was to in their life's experience in Babylon 29:41 so that they can identify with the gods of Babylon, 29:45 actually, the name Babylon 29:46 in the Babylonian language means 29:48 gate of the gods, 29:49 so many gods, they were pagans, 29:52 and they wanted these Jews not to have their names 29:56 having beautiful significance about the Almighty God 30:00 continually sounding 30:02 when you call Daniel. 30:03 Let's look at the name significance 30:05 of Daniel and his friends. 30:07 Daniel's name means a God of judgment 30:11 or God is my judge. 30:13 Hananiah signified the lord of grace, 30:16 or the Lord is gracious to me. 30:17 Michael or Mishael, 30:20 convey the sense that the Lord is the strength, 30:23 my strength. 30:25 Azariah is a compound of Azar and iah 30:28 implied the Lord is my help. 30:31 So their names being changed 30:34 was to lead them to forget who they were. 30:38 And so this, of course, 30:41 had they not stay close to the Lord, 30:43 that would have happened, 30:44 but they chose to be faithful 30:46 and these guys endured some terrible things. 30:50 I don't know how many of us after the statute was put up, 30:54 and the instrument sounded would have bowed 30:58 before that statue that Nebuchadnezzar set up, 31:01 but you have the three Hebrew worthies 31:03 being faithful to God until the end, 31:05 even after Nebuchadnezzar say, 31:07 "Hey, we're going to give you guys a second chance. 31:09 We're going to see if you're going to bow down, 31:11 and if you don't, you're going into the fiery furnace." 31:14 They said, 31:15 "The Lord will deliver us and if He does not, 31:17 we are not going to bow down." 31:19 So there they stayed, 31:21 they remain faithful to God, 31:23 you know, it's very important 31:24 to recognize that 31:26 your name means something connected to the Lord. 31:28 And so, I have good news for you, 31:31 and continue to listen, 31:33 and we'll see that in a moment. 31:35 See, as Christians, we must never forget, 31:37 not forget that we are pilgrims and strangers in this world. 31:42 I want to talk to you about Jacob, 31:44 because his name was changed for a good reason. 31:50 In Genesis 32:28, it says here, 31:54 "And he said your name 31:55 shall no longer be called Jacob, 31:57 but Israel, 31:59 for you have struggled 32:00 with God and with men and have prevailed." 32:04 And so here you have, Jacob's name being changed. 32:09 He wrestled with the angel during the whole night. 32:12 And he realized that 32:14 wait a minute, this is no common man. 32:17 And so he held on, 32:19 he held on 32:20 and he was blessed to have his name changed. 32:23 And I want to point out something interesting 32:26 because his brother said something interesting about him 32:30 in Genesis 27:34-36, 32:33 " When Esau heard the words of his father..." 32:35 See, Jacob had come in and stole the blessing 32:40 that he that he was supposed to receive. 32:42 "When Esau heard the words of his father, 32:44 he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, 32:47 and said to his father, 32:48 'Bless me, bless me also, O my father!' 32:50 But he said, 32:52 'Your brother came with deceit 32:54 and has taken away your blessing.' 32:56 And Esau said, 32:57 'Is he not rightly named Jacob? 33:01 For he has supplanted me these two times. 33:04 He took away my birthright, 33:06 and now look, he has taken away my blessing!' 33:08 And he said, 33:10 'Have you not reserved a blessing for me?' " 33:12 He was desirous to have the blessing 33:15 that he despised earlier in his life. 33:18 But Jacob's name was changed to Israel, 33:22 a wonderful change. 33:24 And so, I'm going to read to you 33:25 from Patriarchs and Prophets, page 198. 33:28 Notice here, 33:30 "The error that had led Jacob's sin 33:32 in obtaining the birthright by fraud 33:34 was now clearly set before him. 33:36 He had not trusted God's promises, 33:38 but had sought by his own efforts 33:40 to bring about that 33:41 which God would have accomplished 33:43 in His own time and way. 33:45 As an evidence that he had been forgiven, 33:47 his name was changed 33:49 from one that was a reminder of his sin, 33:51 to one that commemorated his victory. 33:54 'Thy name,' said the Angel, 33:56 'shall be called no more Jacob, 33:57 the supplanter, but Israel: 34:00 for as a prince 34:01 hast thou power with God and with men, 34:04 and hast prevailed.'" 34:05 Jacob had received the blessing for which his soul had longed. 34:10 His sin as a supplanter and deceiver 34:13 had been pardoned. 34:15 The crisis in his life was past. 34:17 Doubt and perplexity, 34:21 and remorse had embittered his existence, 34:24 but now all was changed, 34:25 and sweet was the peace of reconciliation with God. 34:29 Jacob no longer feared to meet his brother. 34:32 God, who had forgiven his sin, 34:34 could move the heart of Esau 34:36 also to accept his humiliation and repentance." 34:40 Praise the Lord. 34:41 His name was changed 34:43 from something negative to something positive. 34:46 And the good news I have for you, 34:47 I don't know what kind of name you have, 34:49 whether you like it or not. 34:50 And I heard some horrible name 34:53 that some father gave to his daughters. 34:56 They had three daughters. 34:57 He called them yesterday, today and tomorrow. 34:59 I don't know what in the world 35:00 got into the minds of these parents. 35:02 But I don't know 35:03 if you've been called something else 35:05 that you didn't like by your peers. 35:07 But God is going to give us a new name. 35:11 Bought by us through Jesus Christ, 35:14 He paid the price 35:15 to be able to not only redeem us 35:17 to call us, call us His children 35:19 and give us an inheritance, 35:22 but to have our names changed, 35:24 because God loves us, wants the best for us. 35:27 Abraham's name was changed 35:29 so that he could identify 35:30 with the promises that God had made to him. 35:34 Amen and amen. Thank you. 35:36 This has been such a lovely study. 35:38 Wednesday's lesson is "Covenant Stages." 35:42 We've already mentioned how God's covenant 35:45 is an everlasting covenant, 35:47 one that was made before 35:49 He returned to began the covenant of redemption. 35:51 And God is constantly, progressively unfolding this, 35:56 but even within the cabinet of Abraham, he does. 35:59 So the first, 36:00 there's three progressive stages, 36:02 as God will see that 36:05 He approaches Abraham each time, 36:08 He gives him a command and a promise. 36:10 So let's look at the first stage. 36:12 Genesis 12:1-3, 36:15 "Now the Lord had said to Abram: 36:17 'Get out of your country, 36:18 from your family, from your father's house, 36:20 to a land that I will show you. 36:22 I will make you a great nation, 36:24 I will bless you and make your name great, 36:27 and you shall be a blessing. 36:30 I will bless those who bless you, 36:32 I will curse him who curses you, 36:34 and in all the families of the earth, 36:38 you and all the families of the earth 36:40 will be blessed through you." 36:42 And then in verse 7, he says, 36:44 "The Lord appeared to Abram and said, 36:46 'To your descendants I will give this land.'" 36:51 And I will, I will, I will. 36:54 This is God's covenant, 36:57 Abraham's 75 years old, 36:59 living in a pagan society reared by pagan parents. 37:05 And we know that because Joshua 24:2, it says, 37:09 "To rob, that's his father, had served false gods." 37:14 So here is Abraham, 37:15 God's calling him 37:17 into a new relationship with Him. 37:19 And He says, 37:21 "Leave everything familiar behind you." 37:23 He's living in a town that's a seaport, 37:25 God's calling him 37:27 to transition to living the life of a nomad. 37:31 This is an incredible example of faith. 37:35 And 25 years later, he's finally given this sense. 37:40 So God approaches Abraham 37:43 to be the first special covenant bear, 37:49 if you will, 37:50 the one who is going to be the first major figure 37:52 of the God's covenant of grace. 37:55 And he does ask, he gives him a command, 37:59 and it's one that involves total trust in God. 38:03 I don't know that I'd be that great. 38:05 But Hebrews 11 says, 38:07 "It was by faith, 38:08 Abraham went out 38:10 not knowing where he was going." 38:12 But the promise was not only, 38:15 even though it was specifically made to Abraham, 38:17 it was ultimately a promise 38:19 that includes all of the whole human race. 38:24 We see in Galatians 3, Paul's writing about this, 38:28 verses 6 through 9, Abraham believe God, 38:31 it was accounted to him for righteousness. 38:35 Somebody asked me once, 38:36 "Do you believe in righteousness by faith?" 38:38 Let me tell you, 38:39 there is no righteousness except by faith. 38:41 Righteousness by faith 38:43 is the only thing that there is with God. 38:46 And he says, 38:47 "Therefore know that only those who are of faith," 38:51 this is Paul writing in Galatians 3, 38:54 "Only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham." 38:59 And the scripture we're seeing that 39:01 God would justify with Gentiles by faith, 39:05 preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, 39:09 in you, all the nations of the earth will be blessed. 39:15 So Paul concludes, Galatians, 3:9, 39:19 "So then those who are of faith 39:23 are blessed with believing Abraham." 39:25 Woo, woo! That's the first stage. 39:27 Now this is the exciting part. 39:29 God comes back on the second stage. 39:32 Again, there's an approach command and a promise. 39:35 Genesis 15:5-18. 39:38 God comes to him, 39:39 He brings Abraham outside and He says, 39:42 "Look now toward the heaven, 39:43 count the stars if you're able to number them, 39:47 so shall your descendants be." 39:51 And it says in verse 6, 39:52 "He believed in the Lord, 39:55 and He God accounted it to him as righteousness. 40:01 The covenant, the everlasting covenant 40:05 has always been righteousness by faith, 40:09 justified by faith. 40:12 So, then he says in verse 7, God says to him, 40:16 "I am the Lord who brought you out of her 40:18 and out of the Chaldeans, 40:20 to give you this land to inherit it." 40:23 So He promises him the land. 40:25 And you know, then what happens? 40:27 Abraham makes a genuine request for assurance. 40:29 He says, 40:31 "Lord, how shall I know I will inherit it." 40:33 So what God does is He tells him, 40:35 get a heifer, a goat and the ram, 40:38 cut them in half, lay them with a path, 40:41 whether it's half on one side, half on the other, 40:43 and a path in between. 40:45 And then he tells them 40:46 to get a turtledove and a pigeon 40:48 that they killed, 40:49 but they're not to be divided. 40:52 So Abraham obeys, 40:54 he cuts these animals asunder, 40:56 lays them this way. 40:58 Now, you know, in the ancient days, 41:03 when man would cut a covenant with man, 41:06 he make a covenant, 41:07 they call it cutting a covenant, 41:09 this is what they did. 41:11 And what would happen is, 41:13 then each man would walk through the path. 41:18 And they are saying, basically, 41:20 as they're doing this, taking this covenant, 41:23 so let it be done to me, 41:24 let me be cut in half if I break this covenant, 41:27 but let's watch this. 41:29 Because what happens after Abraham obeys? 41:33 God puts Abraham in a deep sleep, 41:37 just like He put, 41:39 when He put Adam in a deep sleep, 41:43 when He was going to create Eve. 41:45 Now get this, while he's in the deep sleep, 41:51 God's gonna walk through this. 41:54 Abraham never walks through this, 41:56 because there's only one person making the promises, 42:00 Abraham did. 42:01 It didn't involve any promise on Abraham's part. 42:06 It was God's promises. 42:08 So God is going to walk through this, 42:11 and He talks to His sleeping prophet, 42:15 telling him his descendants are going to be, 42:17 you know, 400 years, then this land that were there, 42:21 they're going to be afflicted, 42:22 and there'll be strangers in the land. 42:25 And then He promises He'll judge Egypt. 42:27 So He's talking to Abraham, it's from verses 13 to 21, 42:31 Abraham's hearing it in a vision 42:34 as he sleeps. 42:35 But the Abrahamic covenant, 42:38 it's interesting to me that 42:39 God, maybe it's because 42:41 this is the way people cut covenants, 42:43 God wanted to prove that it was a covenant, 42:46 but He was the only one. 42:49 So figuratively, God is saying, 42:53 so let it be done to Me, 42:55 if I were to break My covenant. 42:57 Now, the third stage, 42:59 Genesis 17, 43:01 "Abraham's 99 years old, 43:04 God appears to him says, 43:06 'I am Almighty God, 43:07 walk before Me and be blameless.'" 43:10 Whoa, There is, 43:13 remember, that covenant is God's covenant. 43:17 He always says, My covenant, He makes the promises. 43:20 But there are stipulations. 43:23 There are conditions of obedience. 43:25 He says, walk before me, be blameless, 43:27 I'll make My covenant between Me and you 43:30 and will multiply you exceedingly. 43:33 And Abraham falls on his face. 43:35 And that's when he says, 43:37 my covenant is 43:38 you're going to be the father of many nations, 43:40 I'm going to change your name from Abram, 43:43 which means father is exalted to Abraham, 43:47 which means father of many nations. 43:50 And then he says, 43:51 "I'm going to make this an everlasting covenant, 43:55 that between Me and you, that through you, 43:59 the world is going to be blessed." 44:00 Now, let's look 44:02 in the very short time we've got left. 44:06 Galatians 3:7. 44:09 Paul, in the New Testament makes it abundantly clear 44:13 that the true descendants of Abraham 44:15 are those who have the faith of Abraham, 44:19 who trust in the promised merit, 44:23 or the merits of the Promised Messiah. 44:26 Galatians 3:7, Paul says, 44:30 "Therefore know that only those 44:33 who are of faith are sons of Abraham." 44:38 Then in verse 29, he says, 44:39 "If you are Christ, you are Abraham's seed, 44:45 and heirs according to the promise." 44:49 What is the everlasting covenant? 44:53 It is the Lamb slain 44:55 from the foundation of the world. 44:57 It is God's provision for salvation, for redemption. 45:02 It was introduced when he said, I'm going to... 45:07 The woman is going to have a seed. 45:09 This is why when she said she thinks 45:12 he's going to replace the seed. 45:14 She thinks, hey, Seth is going to be, 45:16 this is Eve, 45:18 the Promise Deliverer, the Messiah. 45:20 But God wants you to know that 45:24 He is inviting you into covenant. 45:26 If you're not in covenant with God, 45:28 you're not saved. 45:29 How simple can I say that? 45:31 Wow. Thank you, Shelley. 45:32 Thank you, all of you. 45:34 I mean, we've been talking about covenants, 45:36 all the way through. 45:37 And although it's kind of like Daniel and Revelation, 45:41 we have been repeating and enlarging 45:44 because Abraham has been mentioned 45:45 a number of times, 45:46 and today, mine is called 45:48 "Covenant Obligation." 45:50 Now, we pointed out the number of covenants 45:53 we find in Scripture. 45:54 Just to cap off what we've talked about, 45:56 I think, since our lesson began. 45:59 There are about depending on how you count, 46:02 if you choose only the Hebrew Bible, 46:05 you find four major categories 46:08 that the Jews consider covenants. 46:11 When you consider the Bible in its totality, 46:13 you find the Edenic covenant, the Noahic covenant, 46:16 the Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic covenant, 46:18 which also include a Priestly covenant, 46:21 because of the Ark of the Covenant, 46:23 the services that the priests were to perform, 46:25 the Davidic Covenant, and then the New covenant, 46:28 so you can total it about seven. 46:30 But the one thing that unites them all 46:32 is the God who made the covenants. 46:35 So when you look at this, 46:37 you'll find if you put the phrase, 46:40 the short phrase, I will in the Bible, 46:42 and I've tried to track this as well as I can, 46:45 you find more than 2,300 phrases, 46:49 I will. 46:50 And when you look at all of them, 46:52 and I tried my best to count as many as I could, 46:54 because I mean, I couldn't sit there 46:55 and count all 2,300. 46:57 But I noticed that almost all of those were... 47:02 The Lord saying, this is what I'm gonna do, 47:04 I will, I will, I will, I will, I will, 47:08 not to include 47:09 the declarations of a fallen angel, 47:11 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, 47:12 those, take those seven out. 47:15 But in most cases, 47:16 God was making declarations 47:18 and these declarations was from the God of the covenant. 47:22 As we talked about the Tetragrammaton, 47:26 the phonetic name of God Yahweh 47:29 with the, just with YHWH, 47:33 and He is the God of the covenant. 47:35 So these covenants were made from beginning to end, 47:37 and every covenant, 47:39 this is something very important to understand. 47:42 Every covenant that God made, 47:44 He did not have preconditions to Him extending the covenant. 47:50 But He showed it have conditions 47:51 to those who embraced to the covenant. 47:54 Let's start with Genesis 18:19. 47:57 And Abraham has been the star of this panel today. 48:03 He says, 48:04 "For I have known him, 48:06 in order that he may command his children 48:09 and his household after him, 48:12 that they keep the way of the Lord, 48:15 to do righteousness and justice 48:17 that the Lord may bring to Abraham 48:20 what he has spoken to him." 48:22 So the Lord made the covenant 48:24 but he said, wait a minute, 48:25 your children, your household, 48:27 there's something I'm going to require of them. 48:30 And then when we find that requirement 48:31 that the Lord made very clear to Abraham, 48:34 command your household 48:35 after the covenant I've made with you. 48:38 And then you find these words 48:40 that are so beautiful in Genesis 26:5. 48:43 Here's what the Bible says, 48:46 "And why did God bless him? 48:47 Because Abraham obeyed My voice, 48:51 kept My charge, 48:53 My commandments, My statutes, and My laws." 48:57 A lot of people read that and say, 48:58 wait a minute, that's long, long, long before Sinai. 49:02 You have Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, 49:03 you have Jacob's 12 sons 49:05 and you have them going to bondage, 49:06 then they have to come out, 49:08 then the Lord gives them Ten Commandments 49:09 and people that think 49:11 the commandments just came into existence 49:12 at Sinai, I thought, 49:14 well, what commandments did Abraham keep? 49:16 Well, you find in the Bible 49:18 there were 1500 years of unwritten record, 49:20 but there was not 1500 years 49:22 of unwritten requirements to be obedient? 49:24 Why would you... 49:26 Why would there be a need to be obedient 49:27 unless there's something to be obedient in harmony with? 49:30 How could man have sinned all that time, 49:33 lest there's a law that could have been violated? 49:36 But Abraham was the one 49:37 that was the man that was obedient, 49:39 he obeyed My voice. 49:41 Obedience could not exist, 49:43 except there is a law to live in harmony with. 49:45 So we find, once again, 49:48 as we look at the Old Testament 49:49 and the New Testament, 49:51 you find once again, 49:52 this unconditional extension of a commandment 49:55 and a covenant from God. 49:58 But surely He does require obedience 50:00 on the part of those who embrace it. 50:02 Hebrews 10:16. 50:04 We're going all the way down to the New covenant, 50:07 and in as we look through the lessons, 50:10 I'm just so excited 50:11 when we prepare for these lessons, 50:13 as we look through them, 50:14 we start to see things that we love to say today. 50:16 But we got to wait till the time comes, 50:19 because I just have loved this study. 50:22 But He says this is the covenant 50:23 I will make with them 50:24 after those days, says the Lord, 50:27 I will put My laws in their hearts, 50:30 and in their minds, 50:31 I will write them. 50:32 In other words, 50:34 they're not going to have to carry around the Torah. 50:36 They're not gonna have to carry around the Ark of the Covenant. 50:39 It is going to be here, it's going to be here. 50:41 And the consciences of men 50:43 can only be consciences 50:45 when the Spirit of God awakens within them 50:48 this reminder that there's an obligation. 50:50 God made a covenant with you, 50:52 and your obligation to honor that covenant. 50:54 If that covenant is violated, 50:56 it awakens within us the sense of guilt, 50:58 the sense of falling short. 51:00 All have sinned and fallen short 51:02 of the glory of God. 51:03 We can't fall short 51:04 unless there's a covenant to live up to exalt 51:07 and to measure our lives by a standard by 51:10 which each one of us is going to be judged. 51:13 Now, according to the lesson so far, 51:16 we have seen that the covenant is always a covenant of grace. 51:20 But it's never a covenant 51:21 that does not require obedience. 51:24 So suffice it to say this, 51:26 let's look at a couple of passages, 51:28 looking at the obedience aspect of it. 51:30 And I'm going to come at it 51:31 from the New Testament perspective, 51:33 because we know, 51:34 we find all throughout the Old Testament 51:36 this cadence of the children of Israel, 51:39 the cadence of the Hebrews going in, 51:40 the Israelites coming out of Eden, of Noah, of Moses, 51:45 we find these covenants continually made, 51:47 but the covenant language continues in the New Testament. 51:50 Luke 6:46, 51:52 look what the Lord says, 51:54 "Why do you call Me Lord, Lord, 51:56 and do not do the things which I say." 52:00 So the covenant is there too, 52:01 because for anyone who calls the Lord, 52:04 his Lord, or her Lord, 52:07 we must do what the Lord says. 52:11 Remember the Israelites 52:12 when they were given the commandments, 52:14 all that the Lord has said, we will do. 52:16 The same thing applies here in the New Testament, 52:18 why do you call Me Lord, Lord, 52:20 and do not do the things which I say. 52:22 Another one that people love to ignore, 52:25 John 14:15, 52:26 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 52:30 That simply, 52:32 when the Lord is your God, 52:34 you can't say He is my Lord, 52:36 but I'm not gonna keep His commandments. 52:38 Then you will be guilty as Isaiah 24:5 says, 52:42 "They broke My laws, they violated My commandments, 52:45 or they broke My commandments, they violated My laws." 52:49 You can't call God, 52:50 I'm gonna specifically speak to Christians, 52:52 you can't call Jesus Lord, 52:55 and then ignore His commandments. 52:57 1 John 2:3-4, or verse 4, 53:00 1 John 2:4, 53:01 "He who says, I know Him, 53:03 and does not keep His commandments is a liar, 53:05 and the truth is not in him." 53:07 Does that covenant obligation, 53:08 and then the apostles 53:10 as they went forth proclaiming the gospel, 53:12 once again, 53:14 the show of obedience to that covenant. 53:16 Acts 5:32, 53:18 "And we are His witnesses to these things, 53:20 and so also is the Holy Spirit, 53:23 whom God has given to those who obey Him." 53:27 The covenant is not without obedience. 53:29 Look at these five points. 53:31 God promised Noah 53:32 that his family would be spared. 53:34 But it was on the condition 53:35 of Noah's obedience to God's covenant. 53:38 Hebrews 11:7, 53:40 "By faith Noah being divinely warned of things 53:42 not yet seen, 53:43 moved with godly fear, 53:45 prepared an ark 53:46 for the saving of his household, 53:48 by which he condemned the world 53:51 and became heir of the righteousness 53:53 which is according to faith. 53:55 And as Shelley said, 53:56 there is no other righteousness, 53:58 but righteousness by faith. 53:59 Number two, when God gave Moses the principles of the law, 54:01 Israel responded with affirmation 54:03 that God's law warranted a response. 54:06 And in short, 54:07 all that the Lord has said, we will do. 54:09 Exodus 24:7-8, 54:11 "All that the Lord had said we will do." 54:15 Did they do it? 54:17 You can't do anything by declaration, 54:19 you have to rely on the Spirit of God. 54:22 I can do all things through Christ, 54:24 who strengthens me. 54:25 Number three, 54:26 the covenant of God 54:28 does not dismiss our obligation to God's commandments. 54:32 Psalm 78:10, 54:34 "They did not keep the covenant of God, " why? 54:37 "They refused to walk in His law." 54:40 Let me ask a question. 54:41 Are you a New Testament Christian 54:42 that believes you don't have to walk in God's law? 54:44 Well, the same statement applies to you. 54:46 There's no way that 54:47 you could be a covenant keeping Christian, 54:50 a covenant keeping worshipper of God 54:53 and not be obedient to the law of God. 54:55 Number four, God requires obedience to His covenant. 54:58 Jeremiah 11:1-6, 55:00 I don't have time to read all of it, 55:02 but I'll just simply put it this way. 55:03 He says, 55:05 "Obey my voice, 55:06 and do according to all that I command you 55:09 and you shall be My people." 55:11 And lastly, 55:13 we find that God's covenant is always something 55:15 that comes out of an obligation from our hearts. 55:18 Let me make this point as we transition. 55:20 If your heart is not filled with love for the Lord, 55:23 the covenant of God is His love to you. 55:27 Your response to the covenant of God 55:29 is your love to Him. 55:31 Do you love Him that much? 55:33 Amen. Praise the Lord. 55:35 Man, that's, this is a rich lesson. 55:37 This was a rich lesson indeed. 55:39 So let's take some time 55:40 just to go back through and give some final thoughts. 55:42 Monday's lesson we talked about El Shaddai, 55:44 our God who can do anything 55:46 and take any seemingly impossible situation 55:49 and turn it around. 55:51 Just want to encourage you 55:52 no matter what you are going through, 55:53 no matter what you are experiencing, 55:56 call on Him and He will be faithful to you. 55:58 That's right. 56:00 Amen. 56:01 Well, Abram's name was changed to Abraham 56:04 because he chose to be faithful to God. 56:07 And that means that God wants to transform him 56:11 as well as us. 56:12 I'm reading to you from Revelation 2:17, 56:16 "He who has an ear, let him hear 56:18 what the Spirit says to the churches. 56:21 To him who overcomes 56:22 I will give some of the hidden manna to eat, 56:25 and I will give him a white stone, 56:27 and on the stone, a new name written, 56:29 which no one knows 56:31 except him who receives it." 56:33 And God wants to give you a new start, a new name, 56:36 and make you part of his family. 56:37 Amen. 56:39 We saw in on Thursday or Wednesday, 56:42 that God revealed separate, 56:45 He revealed His covenant in several stages to Abraham. 56:48 The progressive unfolding of that 56:51 in Exodus 2:24, 56:53 when God hears the Hebrews, 56:55 He remembers His covenant with Abraham, 56:59 this Sinai covenant is built 57:03 on this everlasting covenant with Abraham. 57:05 In Luke 1:72, God sends Christ, 57:11 He remembers His covenant with Abraham, 57:14 it's all about the everlasting covenant. 57:17 That's right. 57:19 If you're a covenant keeping Christian, 57:20 God does not want lip service, He wants life service. 57:23 Amen. 57:24 Matthew 15:8, 57:26 "The people draw near to Me with their mouth, 57:28 and honor Me with their lips, 57:29 but their hearts are far from Me." 57:31 I pray that you will not be a lip service Christian, 57:34 but a life service Christian. 57:35 Amen. Praise the Lord. 57:37 This lesson has reminded me of 57:39 just how committed God really is to us. 57:42 It's not always the case 57:44 that we are as committed to Him. 57:45 But He is certainly committed to us 57:47 and I just want to invite you if you're home watching, 57:49 wherever you are around the world, 57:50 commit yourself to Christ. 57:52 Just reach out to Him and ask Him, 57:53 Lord, help me to be more committed to You, 57:56 and He will give you the spirit to do so. 57:57 We will invite you to come back next week 57:59 and join us for another lesson entitled 58:01 "Children of the Promise." 58:03 Until then, thank you so much for joining us, 58:05 and we will see you right back here next week 58:07 on 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. |
Revised 2021-04-23